Belkin Active Pro Backpack (aka the Best Laptop Bag Ever!)
Belkin does backpacks…. Who knew!!! They are starting to expand on their travel products which I think is a great idea!
Recently I took this backpack for a spin on a very quick 2.5 day trip to Japan, I was surprised how much I could jam pack into this bag! I ended up taking 6 flights in 4 days, I’m very grateful I had this backpack because it fit everything I needed.
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Lots of compartments!
There is a small zipper compartment are the back of the bag (closest to your back) which I found perfect for my flight tickets and my passport, I didn’t have to worry about being pick pocketed or my passport getting lost at the bottom of my bag!
The larger compartment has a snug (padded – soft) space for a 15.6inch laptop – I have a 15 inch Apple Mac Pro which sits in a BookBook case – it fit perfectly. There is also a smaller section for an iPad or an e-reader (I only took my laptop and e-reader) along with a few small pockets for bits and pieces such as pens, change or paperwork. There is still plenty of room of other gadgets etc to take along.
It makes for a good laptop bag but maybe you’re looking for a gaming laptop bags for your teenagers?
I crammed in a pair of earphones and my larger Bose Headphones, a bag of nuts (yes nuts… I was hungry and it wasn’t a small bag!), my 3 (yes 3) TYLT portable chargers and my charger cords for my laptop and iPhone (which was also Belkin…). I attached a carabiner to the side of the bag to easily carry my neck pillow.
The top of the bag has a small zipped sections for your smaller items that you might need quicker access to such as; lip balm, change, pens etc..
There are also 2 small zipped pockets on the front of your bag again maybe for paperwork or smaller flatter items.
The side of the backpack has a pocket for you to put a water bottle or an umbrella.
Like I said… lots of compartments.
Comfortable on the back even with lots of weight
Like I said my backpack was pretty jam packed full of stuff (mostly to keep me entertained on the long flights and boring waiting periods in the airport. I was surprised that even though I had a lot of fairly heavy items in the bag, I could still carry it around for hours and not endure any back pack of discomfort. The straps were very well padded and didn’t dig is which is another massive bonus!
The backpack is low profile, which means that it doesn’t project far from the wearer’s back. As the weight is kept close to the wearers back and centre of gravity, it helps reduce any back ache and makes it easier to carry without weight becoming an issue.
Quality:
I have not had any issues with this backpack, the zippers work perfectly even under strain of a very full bag. The material about the outside of the bag is fairly durable and I would say splash proof (I got stuff in a bit of rain and everything was still fine) – the bag is advertises as having a water-resistant coating. The straps are padded, very comfortable and easy to adjust, no more digging into your shoulders!
The inside of the bag is soft and felt lined, so your gadgets are protected by the soft felt-ness.
The back of the bag has mesh padding which helps with comfort for longer periods that you might have to wear the bag for.
Improvements:
I don’t have much to suggest in the way of improvements for this bag however the only thing that would have made it extra perfect would have been a small carabiner or clip for me to attached my neck pillow to – it did fit in the bag but made it super duper full and was a bit of a pain in the butt to carry around.
I would also remove the front pockets are for me at least they weren’t really utilised and a little difficult to use when I made the main section full.
At a Glance
-
- Dedicated protection for laptop and tablet
- Adjustable mesh padded shoulder straps
- Padded back panel for comfort
- Water-resistant coating on base protects contents
- Reflective strips add visibility in low light
- Top loading, upright design stands without support
- Internal organization for ancillary items
- Vertical pockets allow fast access on-the-go
- Hidden high security pocket
- Loop for a bike light
- Luggage strap fastens bag to trolley or case
- Sporty, relaxed design
- Knapsack opening for visibility and easy access
- width x height x depth: 11.8” x 17.3” x 6.7” depth / 30cm x 44cm x 17cm
- weight: 1.7lb / 776g
RRP: $79.99 and can be purchased directly from the Belkin Website
